A new theory 'demystifies' the crystallization process and shows that the material that crystallizes is the dominant component within a solution -- which is the solvent, not the solute. The theory ...

A two-step process To shed light on how colloidal crystals form, the researchers conducted experiments to carefully observe how charged colloidal particles behave in different growth conditions as ...

It’s not magic, it’s acoustic levitation. The two metal probes emit and reflect sound waves that trap this liquid droplet in midair. Franziska Emmerling uses the effect to study crystallization ...

Sometimes engineers invent something before they fully comprehend why it works. To understand the "why," they must often create new tools and techniques in a virtuous cycle that improves the original ...

Pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control processes are stuck in the past. Process Analytical Technology (PAT) can bring production systems up-to-date and help realize manufacturing efficiency ...

Recent advances in the self-assembly of block copolymers have enabled the precise fabrication of hierarchical nanostructures using low-cost solution-phase protocols. However, the preparation of ...

Going back through time, cultures around the world—from ancient Sumer to Indus Valley, China, and South America—have believed crystals could evoke a kind of sorcery, conjure change, and heal disease.

A recent theory challenges conventional understanding of crystallization. It shows that the dominant element in a solution—the solvent, not the solute—is the material that crystallizes. This finding, ...